The Meeting House, one of the largest churches in Canada including its regional sites throughout Ontario, has just been through an Ubuntu series that has highlighted three marginalized groups: First Nations, New Canadians, and lastly People Living With a Disability. …Read More →

I recently read a post by Tim Challies and Sean Harrelson that had been making the rounds, called “The Disabilities Dilemma.” It spoke of a church conference on beauty and mission, where very few people stopped by “a booth covered with pictures of broken bodies and disfigured faces.” The argument that the post makes is that an …Read More →

1 Corinthians 12: 12-26 Paul writes to the Corinthians that our unique gifts, especially the gifts of those that appear to be weaker, are indispensableto the healthy functioning of the Body of Christ: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need …Read More →

We allow Michael to have baths at certain times, and then we wrestle him out of the bathroom at other times – compliance is an issue which he can’t understand! Sometimes we give in because, well, it’s just easier.

Our church has done many things right in creating a safe and accommodating place for children, including a Plan to Protect® policy, offering to provide workers and they have even offered seminars on children with disabilities. Outside of the children’s programming, though, I know of nothing specifically in place for adults with disabilities except general acceptance. …Read More →

How will you respond? Will you sit down with them and go over the ontological argument for God’s existence or the intricacies of the Trinity? Will you even try to explain issues related to the logical problem of evil? If not, do you have anything for them? …But instead of just requiring a rational response, it requires a compassionate response. …Read More →

An article in the journal “Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities” (Feb 2013) describes a research project that highlights the importance of religion and spirituality in the lives of persons with disabilities. The authors conducted a survey of 416 families to explore the way in which they and their children participated and were included in congregational life. The …Read More →